Chapter 1

I walked in on my boyfriend, Ethan, with another woman. Hours before I was supposed to accept the biggest design award of my life.

My plan was simple. Expose him, take my trophy, and leave him in the dust.

Then, I got hit by a car.

The last thing I saw before I blacked out was the license plate.

It was Ethan's.

Then, everything went black.

When I opened my eyes again, I was standing in front of a massive Victorian manor.

"Welcome to Hollow Creek Manor."

A cold, mechanical voice boomed from the sky.

"Welcome, players, to the S-class survival game: Hollow Creek Manor. The rules are as follows: Survive for 10 days. Keep your Anxiety Level below 100. If it reaches 100, your soul will be obliterated. At the end of the game, the lower your Anxiety Level, the greater your reward."

I froze.

A game?

I looked around and saw a few other people standing nearby.

They were all young, men and women, with terror etched on their faces.

"Shit, another S-class," a guy in glasses groaned. "I just survived three B-class games. I thought I'd get a damn break."

"S-class?" a girl next to him asked, trembling. "What does that mean?"

"It means we're screwed," the guy sneered. "S-class games? 95% mortality rate."

I was still processing all this when I heard a familiar voice.

"Ava?"

I turned my head. It was Ethan.

He stared at me in shock, like he'd seen a ghost. "What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that," my voice was ice. "Or was this part of your plan, too?"

Ethan shook his head. "No, I don't know—"

"Ava!"

Chloe stepped out from the crowd, a sickeningly sweet smile on her face. "What a coincidence. We meet again."

I stared at her, and something clicked.

The car crash. Their car. My "death."

It was all too perfect.

"Hey, newbies. Need a rundown?" A guy with a seasoned look walked over. "Name's Marcus. A-class player."

"Wait." I held up a hand. "Let me get this straight. Are we dead?"

Marcus nodded. "Technically, you're in a near-death state. You only get your life back if you clear the game."

"What if your Anxiety Level hits zero?" I asked. "Do you get a special reward? Like, God Mode?"

The group fell into a strange silence.

Then, they burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! God Mode?" Marcus was laughing so hard he was crying. "Sweetheart, you think this is a video game?"

"Anxiety at zero? Impossible," the guy in glasses scoffed. "Unless you're a robot or something."

Ethan was frowning at me. "Ava, your player profile—"

Before he could finish, a transparent panel popped up in front of me.

【Player: Ava Stone】

【Level: Novice】

【Special Status: Sensory Deficiencies (Face Blindness, No Sense of Smell)】

【Current Anxiety Level: 5】

When Chloe saw my profile, a cruel glint flashed in her eyes. "Oh, dear. Sensory deficiencies? In a horror game, that’s fatal. You should just give up. Might as well die now and get it over with."

"Yeah," Marcus shook his head. "If you can't recognize a ghost's true form or smell danger, you're just asking to die."

The other players started whispering, their eyes filled with either pity or glee.

Ethan bit his lip, looking like he wanted to say something, but he stayed silent.

Face blindness. That's what Chloe had used to attack me when I caught them.

She said I was so boring I couldn't even recognize Ethan in bed.

I shook my head, forcing the image out of my mind.

Well, I was here now. I didn't know what kind of conspiracy this was, but I was going to survive.

I worked for ten years to win that design award. I'm not dying before I get to hold it.

I shrugged at the group.

"Sounds interesting. So, when do we start?"

"You already have," Marcus said, pointing at the manor. "There are lots of rooms in there, each with its own... 'occupant.' You need to pick a place to stay, then figure out how to survive their welcome for ten days."

Everyone started heading for the manor.

I followed behind, without noticing glowing comments floating in the air above us.

【Livestream Viewers: 233,847】

【Comment 1: lol more newbies here to die】

【Comment 2: a face-blind girl in a horror game? she won't even see it coming lmao】

【Comment 3: Sensory deficiencies in an S-class game is suicide】

【Comment 4: wait, i've heard of this game. even the legendary guild leader of Nightfall got his whole team wiped out here】

【Comment 5: GG, she’s toast. And that scumbag couple is here too? This is gonna be a train wreck. I’m here for it.】